No Rest for the Hungover
by purplesheep101
Summary: After Fenris leaves Valkyrie distraught, Hawke is furious with him whilst her relationship with Anders is blooming. With tensions rising between the gang, they need to work together for the sake of the mission in order to save Kirkwall. Later chapters may contain smut MA rating. AndersX(F)Hawke and OCXFenris
1. Chapter 1

**This is the sequel to Hawke's Night Off : s/9698246/1/Hawke-s-Night-Off**

**Thank you Eb0ny Dragon for co-writing and being my beta.** **Here's a link to her page: u/4513987/Eb0ny-Dragon**

**Disclaimer: Everything is owned by Bioware except for my Hawke character and Valkyrie belongs to Eb0ny Dragon.**

* * *

Hawke swung the front door open to Fenris's estate with a speed that unsettled the nearby dust, causing Isabela to cough as she entered behind her. Hawke climbed the old staircase with long strides, her fists clenched so hard that her nails drew blood. When she got to the top she didn't bother announcing herself but strolled in with heavy footsteps. Fenris, sensing a dangerous presence, tensed and took a battle stance, ready to draw his blade to strike down the intruder.

"Oh, Hawke, it's just you." Fenris relaxed, his hand slipping from the hilt of the greatsword strapped to his back. His eyes were slightly red and puffy, and he looked like company was the last thing he wanted.

Hawke slowly made her way to stand in front of Fenris, her head bowed and her dark bangs concealing her eyes. Isabela waited at the doorway, not wanting to intervene with Hawke emitting such an unusually dark aura but unable to look away.

Hawke punched him square on his pretty nose, successfully breaking it with a sickening crunch and leaving what was sure to be an angry bruise on her fist. Fenris staggered backward, his eyes widening and a curse leaving him.

"Fasta vass! Festis-" Without leaving any time for him to recover Hawke stepped forward and drove her foot into his stomach, knocking him onto his back with a sickening thud. She swiftly straddled him so his couldn't escape and began to repeatedly slam her fists into his face. His jaw, cheekbones, eye- every strike was harder than the next. Fenris' hands clenched, but to Isabela's surprise they remained firmly on the floor.

"Jennifer! Stop! You said yourself we need to whole gang, everyone needs to be able to fight! For the sake of Kirkwall!"

Hawke stopped and her grip loosened at Isabela's unusually reasonable voice. Fenris took opportunity of Hawke's distracted state,his tattoos flaring as he shoved her off him with an angry grunt. Hawke slumped to the side of him in defeat, panting and shuffling back as he quickly bought the lyrium markings under control. Her mind regained the ability to comprehend words other than 'punch!'

"Bastard!" Hawke growled.

"I don't expect you to understand. I -" His voice cracking as he spoke.

Getting on her knees, Hawke grabbed him by the collar and looked down on him, barely resisting the urge to shake him.

"Shut up! There is nothing you can say to explain this! What you did was selfish and cowardly, did you ever consider how she must have felt?! If you truly cared for her then you would have at least tried to work things out instead of running when things get tough! She's better off without you, you don't deserve her!" She shrieked, her voice going so high Isabela was surprised the windows didn't shatter.

Frustrated, Hawke let go of Fenris, angry tears staining her cheeks.

"You know nothing." Fenris said softly, his body still in shock as he tried to stem the tide of blood from his nose.

"Shut-up!" she repeated. "Mess with Valkyrie again, and next time I'll gut you like a pig." She snarled.

Isabela intervened again before things got worse, "Enough! We have a mission to complete, everyone's probably waiting for us at Hawke mansion. Are you in or out Fenris?"

Fenris spat out blood, looking up at her balefully. "As long as Hawke doesn't have any problems with my help."

"No, it's for the greater good. Can you walk?" Hawke asked coldly as she got to her feet and walked to the door, not caring to glance over her shoulder to hear his answer.

With an outstretched hand, Isabela helped Fenris up and he managed to take a few steps by himself without falling.

"I can manage." Fenris answered with equal detachment.

"Good."

* * *

Anders, Aveline, Varric, Sebastian and Merrill stood next to the great fireplace in Hawke mansion, waiting for their leader to return. Anders shifted uncomfortably in his corner- so far he has been fortunate not to have crossed paths with Leandra since this morning. Leandra was probably at the market but he hoped that Hawke would return soon, as he didn't want to face her mother without her. There was a knock on the front door and Anders began to fidget more as Bodahn went to answer it, sending a silent prayer to the Maker that it was Hawke. Everyone turned their heads towards the doorway when they heard Bodahn gasp.

Hawke was the first to come into view, blood dripping from her hands and her face scrunched into a frown that didn't suit her. Anders' nervousness was replaced with concern and he rushed to her side. Grasping her hands in his gently, he examined them and healed her raw knuckles and cut palms. He caressed her knuckles with his thumb as the blue glow healed her flesh, and he gave Hawke a half-smile in hopes to comfort her as she looked like she was about ready to cry.

"Are you alright?" Anders asked and Hawke nodded weakly.

"Don't worry, most of it is not my blood." she said, giving him a tight smile.

"What? Then who-"

Anders' half-question was answered as Isabela and Fenris walked in the door. The whole group made a muffled gasping sound as they saw Fenris' face- or what Hawke had left untouched of it. He had what looked like a white rag pressed to his nose, but the blood pouring from it had stained it a dark red. Both his eyes and cheekbones were bruised and pink, and as they watched he pulled the cloth back and spat a glob of blood into it.

Hawke pulled a gaping Anders to the side, cupping his cheek so that he would face her.

"Anders, I know you and Fenris don't have the best relationship but I'm going to need you to heal him for the sake of the mission. Please, I'll explain everything to you later." Hawke pleaded with the eyes of a wounded puppy as she stroked his cheek. Anders relished the thought of leaving Fenris to deal with his injuries, but was powerless against Hawke and her pleas.

"Ok, fine. I'm doing this for you, not him." He agreed with a sigh.

* * *

The cold, salty air of the Wounded Coast whipped through Valkyrie's hair as she tromped down one of its sandy paths, making her skin sting and her eyes water.

Yes, that was it. It was the wind that was causing the thin dribbles of water to fly from her cheeks.

Valkyrie rubbed her eyes furiously and continued loping down the path, her teeth set in a pained grimace as her eyes roamed the coastline for what she needed. What was going to make her feel the tiniest bit less pathetic after her hellish morning.

Finally, after rounding yet another corner of the jagged coastline she saw what she was looking for. A haphazard group of raiders, clustered around an overturned cart and the sad corpse of its owner. The familiar, almost comforting feeling of battle began to stir in Valkyrie, and she quickly began to assess them. Two archers. Two dual-wielding rogues. A mage, and two warriors, one with a sword and shield, and the other with heavy plate armour and a greatsword. A greatsword. Like-

'No. I'm not thinking about that.' She thought grimly to herself. Steeling her thoughts, she pulled her blades off her back and spun them menacingly as she began to stride purposefully towards them. One of the archers twitched and looked up at her, quickly pushing his fellows to get their attention and pointing at her eagerly. Valkyrie increased her pace as the raiders began to move towards her, drawing their weapons and yelling insults at what they perceived to be some sort of wannabe-hero type. She heard the one with the greatsword, apparently their leader, roar to his fellows,

"Slice her good lads! Try to keep 'er goods intact!"

Valkyrie's gaze turned murderous and she began to run towards them, her vision turning red.

"You want a fight?" she screamed. "Try me!"

* * *

The walk back to Hightown was... interesting, to say the least. After shoving her blades through the chest of the blubbering raider leader, Valkyrie had felt a wave of exhaustion not only from the battle but also from her lack of sleep. Suddenly, her warm bed in the Hawke mansion seemed incredibly appealing. So now she loped through Hightown, not caring as the precious nobles screamed, gasped and sometimes retched at her blood-covered appearance. Gore was dripping off her as she left a bloody trail of footprints behind her, through the marketplace and past the Dwarven Merchants Guild. She had sculled her health potions after the battle and so was uninjured, but unfortunately they didn't do anything about her state of the Hawke estate came into view, Val broke into a clumsy jog and almost fell through the door as she reached it, slamming into it before remembering she needed to turn the knob. With a tired but angry growl she stumbled through the door, expecting to perhaps see Orana or maybe Bodahn waiting for her. What she wasn't expecting however, was the crowd that was there to meet her as she entered.

The whole group was there- Aveline, Varric, Isabela, Hawke, Merrill, Sebastian, Anders and- oh. Valkyrie's blood turned to ice as she saw Fenris standing next to Anders, who had his hands extended and was healing the elf. For a split second, almost instinctively, concern began to form in her as she took In Fenris' bloodied appearance- but then it turned to a dead feeling of absolute nothing. She looked at them all stonily, silently daring them to comment. When no one did, she shuffled into the room and called up to where Orana was standing.

"Orana! Run a tub of hot water for me- I need a bath." Orana nodded and moved off to the master bathroom to start running the hot water.

"Valkyrie, I'm-" began Isabela quietly, but she stopped as Valkyrie gave her a stony glare and stomped past them into her bedroom down the hall. They watched in silence as she limped away and disappeared, and it was finally broken by Aveline.

"I'm not going to go into the details yet without Valkyrie, but what I will say is this- Fenris, it seems you've seriously offended Valkyrie. But I need you to work with everyone on this mission- your knowledge of the qunari language may be of use."

Fenris, who had now been fully healed by Anders, stepped away from the mage and looked at her stonily.

"Then let us pretend it never happened. I will act as you need me to, Aveline- we shall speak no more of this."

"Pretend it never-?" began Hawke, her voice rising in anger, but she shut her mouth as Varric nudged her meaningfully.

* * *

Valkyrie strolled down the staircase with her head held high, looking refreshed in a new suit of silver rogue armor. She saw that everyone was still standing where she left them not 20 minutes ago and it annoyed her to no end. She had no desire to be around anyone at the moment, especially not him.

"Ok, let's get this over with." she sighed. "We'll talk in the library." Valkyrie walked into the library and browsed the contents of the nearest bookcase, making sure not to make eye-contact with anyone. 'If this is a bloody intervention, I'm going to send Hawke to the Maker.' She thought angrily whilst trying to keep a cool expression.

Hawke followed Valkyrie and the rest of the gang filed in after, unknowingly creating a rough semicircle around the two girls. Not wanting to upset Valkyrie further, Hawke chose her words carefully. "Val, Aveline had an important mission for us so I'm going to need you to give us your full attention."

Wordlessly Valkyrie dropped her hand to her side and turned around to face Aveline, her face back in its usual stoic expression. Aveline took this as her cue to speak and stepped forward. "According to a trusted source of the Arishok, the Viscount has asked us to intercept a pirate ship before it arrives and sacks the docks. Secondly, it's important that we find out who hired these pirates and deal with them to prevent them from trying something like this again. If we fail, the Arishok will have no choice but to retaliate on anti-Qunari groups which could wipe out half of Kirkwall, as his source claims that the pirates are acting under anti-qunari orders. The Viscount has prepared a special ship with a small crew for us to borrow for this mission, however they will be there only to control the ship, not fight the pirates with us. Also-"

"Wait a second." Interrupted Isabela, her eyes widening. "Did you just say that the Viscount is giving us a ship? With a crew?" Aveline scowled at her.

"Did I mention it is a temporary lend? You do not get to commandeer the ship afterwards Isabela. Now shut up and listen." Isabela scowled and pouted, but Aveline ignored her and continued.

"Also I will need to report back to the Arishok when we are finished- anyone who wishes to join me is welcome. We will need to leave within the hour- any questions?"

"Just one." said Varric, raising his hand. "Not everyone here- and by that I mean myself and Daisy- are that great on ships. Sure you want us coming along?"

"Yes." said Aveline sternly. "I told the Viscount I would get this done without using my guardsmen, so I'm going to need everyone on board for this." She turned to Anders. "Anders, is there anything you can do to combat their seasickness?"

Anders 'hmmd' for a second, then nodded.

"I can probably mix up something to delay its effects for the duration of the mission, yes."

"Good." Aveline nodded. "Anything else?" When no one said anything else, she crossed her arms. "Right then. Everyone prepare here, then meet me in the foyer in ten. We march for the docks!" She walked out to wait, and the rest of them milled about for a few seconds before splitting up. Anders turned to Hawke, who immediately smiled upon meeting his eyes.

"Do you have any herbs I can mix up? I need to make something for Varric and Merrill." Grabbing his hand spontaneously, Hawke grinned and pulled him out to the main room and over to Valkyrie's crafting desk, which contained decent-sized samples of all the crafting resources she had collected over the years.

"Can you make something with this?" she asked. Anders' eyes widened as he took in the carefully-ordered pockets of herbs, liquids and ores.

"Who- does Valkyrie use this stuff? I can't imagine you making poisons or poultices..." Hawke smirked and walked away, running a hand across his chest as she left.

"That's what I have you for, isn't it?" Anders chuckled but got to work quickly, picking out small amounts of Valkyrie's resources and grinding them together with a mortar and pestle she had there.

Valkyrie sat in front of the fireplace, legs crossed and Hawke's Marbari warhound, Pup, resting its head lazily in her lap. She sharpened one of her blades that had dulled in her previous bandit battle as she waited for everyone to prepare themselves. Hawke plopped herself next to Valkyrie and stretched her arms and legs by the fire.

"I feel sorry for that poor sod who's going to be on the receiving end of your dagger." Hawke smiled and indicated to her handiwork.

"Pfft. Sod? are you turning into a dwarf now?" Valkyrie lifted an eyebrow in Hawke's direction.

"Don't act like you haven't spent your fair share of time around dwarves. C'mon you should get up, you wouldn't want to be left behind." Hawke stood up and brushed herself off then offering a free hand to Valkyrie.

"Thanks Jen." Valkyrie said as she regained her footing.

"It's not a problem." Hawke flashed her a grin, happy to see that Valkyrie was now in a more stable condition.

"I mean it, thank you for being there."

"Hey, that's what family is for." Hawke patted her shoulder before rejoining the group that had gathered in the foyer.

Giving Pup one last pat on the head, Valkyrie followed her friend and shortly after everyone left for the docks together.


	2. Chapter 2

**Hey guys I can't remember when I post the last chapter so I thought it was about time to update. I should warn you, there's some violence in this chapter so prepare yourselves. There's actually a quote from the game in this chapter, I didn't realised until I played the game (again.) Anyway I'm willing to offer a prize (that has yet to be determined) to the first person who can guess which quote it is. **

**Thank you Eb0ny Dragon for co-writing and being my beta.** **Here's the link to her page: u/4513987/Eb0ny-Dragon**

**Disclaimer: Everything is owned by Bioware except for my Hawke character and Valkyrie belongs to Eb0ny Dragon.**

**- Enjoy**

* * *

"By the Maker, she's beautiful and shes' _all mine!_" exclaimed Isabela, breathing in the salty air she began to feel more like a pirate again. Quickly running past Hawke, Isabela skipped up the ramp and boarded the ship.

"Remember Isabela, we're _borrowing_ this ship, it's not yours to keep!" Aveline shouted after her.

"Yeah, yeah, there's no need to remind me every five seconds. Let me enjoy being Captain Isabela again!" Isabela rolled her eyes before running off to the helm of the ship to further inspect the beauty.

"I would keep an eye on that one, Guard Captain." Chuckled Varric.

Aveline smiled wearily. "It would seem that the fresh air is doing us some good."

Varric elbowed Anders, "Yeah, Blondie here couldn't his his eyes off Hawke's backside for the entire journey."

"Keep your voice down Varric, Jen might hear you." whispered Anders, quickly checking to see if she'd heard.

Hawke bent over and stuck her butt her, pretending to re-tie the lace to her boot. Then deciding to screw the pretences, she stood up and waltzed over to Anders, slinging her arms round his neck and pulling him down to plant a kiss his cheek.

"Let me watch you bathe and we'll call it even." Hawke winked playfully at him and he smirked.

"You two really need to get a room." Valkyrie's face scrunched in disgust (although inside she was secretly pleased they were finally together).

"Are you offering yours Val?" Hawke grinned.

"Eww. Maker no."

"I don't understand, why do Anders and Hawke need to get a room?" Merrill asked with innocent curiosity.

"You see Daisy, when a man and a woman desire each very much they-"

"Varric stop joking around, you're making Sebastian and every else uncomfortable." Interrupted Aveline, pinching the bridge of her nose. Varric and Hawke grinned wickedly at each other.

Untangling himself from Hawke, Anders handed a potion each to Merrill and Varric, "Drink all of it just before boarding, it's effects are immediate and will last a couple of hours. But be warned- once it wears off the seasickness will hit you tenfold." Varric groaned, but he and Merrill drunk the potion without further complaint and followed the rest of them as they walked up the ramp and onto the ship.

It was a decent sized vessel, made of a dark lacquered wood that gleamed dully in the morning sun. Isabela, Aveline was pleased to see, had immediately gotten to work ordering the Viscounts' crew to prepare to sail, and she quickly gathered the rest of them around her. Hawke had intertwined her arm with Anders, who in turn had a constant smile on his face at finally being able to openly show his affection for her. Merrill's already large eyes as gotten huge as she tried to subtly look over the side of the ship instead of looking at Aveline like she was supposed to, and Varric looked ready to snatch her back if she started to go overboard. Poor Sebastian was standing stoically between Valkyrie and Fenris, who both looked like they wanted be at home in bed rather than on a boat.

"Isabela, get over here! We need to have a plan for when he intercept the pirate ship." Aveline yelled, waving at the pirate who was running her hand down the arm of a confused-looking sailor. Winking at the man, Isabela loped down from the helm and joined the group, making a comical face at Sebastian's predicament before taking her place between Hawke and Merrill.

"Right." Aveline nodded. "Everyone will take a specific position on the ship in order to maximise our effectiveness when we reach the pirates. Isabela, whilst I hate deferring to you," she scowled "If you have any suggestions as to positions, feel free to bring them up. Now there's only one person who I have a firm idea for their position…" she turned to Merrill, who quickly snapped her eyes back from the seagull she had been watching.

"Merrill, I want you up in the crow's nest. Keep an eye out for any ships near us and cast your spells from up there where you're safe. And for the love of Andraste,_ don't_ get distracted by the clouds, or the waves, or _whatever_!" Merrill beamed, clearly excited to have been put in such an important place. Aveline looked like she wanted to say more, but restrained herself and turned to Hawke.

"Hawke, you know the rest of our styles best, I'll let you decide where to put the rest of us." She finished. Hawke tapped her chin thoughtfully and turned first to (of course) Anders.

"Anders, I want you on deck and ready for when the pirate ship comes into cannon range. It'll be your job to protect this ship from any permanent damage till we get within boarding distance. Isabela stay with our ship, things will get heavy and you're the one with the most experience steering ships when fighting pirates. Sebastian, you're with Anders but you'll be covering us from distance- try to pick of as many as you can before we get to melee range. Varric, Fenris, you'll be in charge of firing the grappling hooks to latch onto the enemy ship. Once they are firmly ensnared, join us on the enemy vessel when you're done. The rest of us, be ready to board!"

Valkyrie gave Aveline a confused look.

"What about you, Aveline?Aren't you joining us on the enemy ship?" Aveline tapped her chestplate smartly.

"Can you imagine me leaping across ships in this? Besides, the Viscount's crew needs someone to protect them in case the pirates get near-and that someone will be me. Now off to your positions, all of you!"

With an excited giggle Merrill raced off and quickly scampered up to the crow's nest, nearly dropping her staff as she scrambled into the basket. Isabela swaggered back up to the helm, whilst Varric and Fenris began to examine the rows of heavy crossbows mounted on the railing, each with a grappling hook attached to a length of thick rope coiled beside it. Sebastian sat down on a barrell and began to string his bow, muttering a prayer to the Maker that their journey would go well. Valkyrie loped over to the opposite side of the ship and stared glumly at the water, whilst Aveline walked over to the crew and began giving them the lowdown of their plan. Hawke went to go find a good bit of rope that would support her on her journey across to the enemy ship, but Anders grabbed her wrist and swung her around to face him.

"Be careful, Jennifer. You're always too reckless." He said with concern.

Hawke smirked, playing with a strand of Anders' hair. "Well it's a good thing that I have you looking after me and don't worry- I know when I'm outmatched."

Anders lifted her chin up so that their lips met in a short but passionate kiss and he rested his forehead against hers.

"It would kill me to lose you." Anders whispered lowly.

A smile etched Hawke's features, her lips softly grazing his "Well then, I guess I won't die." She gave him a final, quick kiss before reluctantly slipping from his warm embrace and then sauntered off to join Val- giving him a subtle wink over her shoulder on the way. Only slightly relieved at Hawke's confidence, Anders walked towards the stern and began to calculate how much mana it would take shield the ship.

Jennifer leaned her elbows on the railing next to Val and grinned at her sullen friend.

"Soooo… are you excited to kill some pirates? _I'm_ excited to kill some pirates." Breaking out of her reverie, Val snorted and looked at her friend's excited face.

"You can't kill _all_ of them Jen. We need one or two alive to interrogate- preferably some of the more powerful ones." Unable to be downed by Valkyrie's logic, Jennifer rubbed her hands together evilly.

"Ooh, torture! Can I do it? Please? Please please _pleeaasse_?" Valkyrie raised an eyebrow.

"Your eagerness to torture men is disturbing. But I don't see why not." Her eyes brightened. "In fact, you can use something of mine I whipped up earlier." She pulled a small, dark green phial from a leather pouch on her belt and handed it to Hawke, who held it up to the sun and squinted.

"What's this? Deathroot extract?" She asked curiously, watching the muddied contents of the phial move in the sunlight.

"Oh no. This is something more potent. I uh, probably shouldn't tell you how I made it… just know that it'll cause a LOT of pain if put on an open wound." With a wicked grin, Hawke pocketed the phial and then, much to Valkyrie's surprise, gave her a warm hug. Valkyrie stiffened and tried not to get a mouthful of Hawke's dark curls.

"_Jennifer_…" Hawke quickly released her and stepped out of punching range, her eyes twinkling.

"I know I know, you don't like hugs. But with those mopey faces you're pulling, I just can't help it! So I suggest you start enjoying this fine day of sailing and pirate killing before I'm tempted again."

Taking the not-so-subtle- hint to cheer up, Val sighed and relaxed her face so it wasn't so stony. Hawke's eye twitched, but sensed it wasn't going to get much better.

"Come on grumpy, we need to get ready. Come help me find some rope!"

* * *

"Oh. OOH! Isabela! Oh, I think I can see it! Over there!" Down on the deck, Isabela saw Merrill point excitedly towards the starboard side of the deck. Isabela began to steer the ship so that Varric and Fenris could fire the crossbows properly, and she yelled down to Hawke who was in position with Valkyrie.

"Get ready Jen, we'll be within firing range in a few minutes!"

Hawke and Valkyrie readied themselves, having tied ropes to the mast which would allow them to swing across the gap between the ships with ease.

"Merrill!" Hawke yelled. "When you're ready, use lighting to tear through their sails- I don't want them escaping! Anders-" she turned to Anders, who was at the opposite end of the ship with Sebastian. "- you do the same with fireballs, but try not to set anything else alight!" Anders smirked at her, and Hawke's felt her heart flutter before resuming her commando-leader mode.

"Varric, elf! Get ready with those crossbows, and don't you dare miss! Valkyrie and I are gonna kill all the pirates if you don't come over after us, and it'll be_ too bad for you!_ Aveline-" Aveline stared at Hawke impassively, and she sheepishly lowered her voice. "You ah, you know what you're doing."

In a few quick minutes the pirates had noticed that the Viscount's ship was making a beeline for them. Hawke could see them raising their sails and trying to zoom past, but with an ungodly crackle several bolts of lightning suddenly ripped through one of the sails. Merrill cheered and, not to be outdone, Anders sent a fireball spiralling towards the second one. It exploded with a muffled _fwoosh_, the flames quickly engulfing the sail in a matter of seconds.

Cries could be heard as the Viscounts ship drew closer. Isabela skillfully steered the ship so that they were parallel and as soon as they were within range, Hawke yelled out "_Fire!_"

Fenris and Varric shot the grappling hooks and they embedded themselves deep within the wood of the enemy ship, dragging the ship close enough for Hawke and Valkyrie to reach it.

Hawke swung across from half-way up the mast with a great battle-cry, adrenaline rushing through her as she soared through the air. Releasing the rope she flipped in mid-air and sunk her dual blades into the neck of the unfortunate pirate she landed on. An arrow flew past her ear and she spun, flinging one her blades at the attacker before he could draw another arrow. It thudded into his chest and he fell to his knees, plucking weakly at the blade before gasping and slumping onto the deck. With a starting sprint, Hawke skidded across the floor, slashing the legs of a pirate that was engaged with Valkyrie who had landed with much less flair a few meters away. Valkyrie finished him off by beheading him with her dual blades and covered Hawke as she retrieved her lost blade. Twisting the blade further, Hawke pulled her dagger from the dead pirate and grumbled inwardly as blood spurted over her hands. Valkyrie ducked as a bolt of lightning streaked past her and she fell to her knees, stabbing a pirate in the stomach before withdrawing them and slitting his throat. She grimaced as she jumped up- the lightning hadn't _quite_ missed.

"We need to find their leader!" Hawke said, fighting back-to-back with Valkyrie as pirates fell around them.

"He's most likely below deck, scared while his mindless lackeys do his dirty-work!" Valkyrie yelled, tossing one of her throwing knives at an unfortunate pirate.

A huge pirate swung his great battleaxe at the two whilst they were distracted,and they both leapt backwards without their usual grace. Hawke landed flat on her back, her weapons slipping just beyond reach as another pirate approached her with a raised sword. Not missing a beat, she kicked his legs from under him and spun into a crouch. He fell next to her feet with a great _thud_ and she proceeded to strangle him with her legs as he struggled against her iron grip, his hands scrabbling uselessly against her leather-clad thighs. The pirate fell limp and she jumped up and reunited herself with her blades before slashing and defending herself against yet another pirate, unable to help Valkyrie.

The battle axe wielding pirate pulled his weapon from where it had become lodged in the now broken wood with a grunt and stalked towards Valkyrie, who had regained her footing and was now seriously pissed. He swung again and she dodged to her left, well aware that she could not hope to block the brute's monstrous strength. The next time the brute swung his axe she dived to the side, hoping to strike him from behind with her advantage in speed and agility. However, as she spun behind him another pirate suddenly appeared, slashing at her with a jagged longsword. Annoyed at his interference, she parried with her blades before swiftly kicking him in the stomach and bringing her daggers down into his spine as he hunched over, winded. She spun around to face the pirate brute and her eyes widened as she saw his raised battleaxe come flying down towards her head. She began to leap backwards, but in her gut she knew that the battleaxe was going to hit its mark. Then a blur of silver caught her eye, and suddenly Fenris was standing in front of her, his greatsword raised to block the incoming strike. Fenris' muscles flexed as the battleaxe connected with his blade, and with a grunt he used his strength to push the battleaxe away from him, giving him an opening to behead the brute with an impressive swing. The brute's head landed with a heavy _thump_ and rolled away, his blood spraying from the body like a fountain and staining anything nearby before collapsing. Fenris turned around and gave Valkyrie one of his rare half-smiles, relieved to see that she was still alive. Not quite sure how to respond, Valkyrie gave him a shaky nod and turned her attention to the next pirate.

On the other side of the ship, Varric and Sebastian were competing to see who could shoot the most brigands. Well, Varric was competing. Sebastian was sighing and reminding Varric that life-or-death battles were no time for competitions.

Merrill had decided to discontinue using lighting after almost frying Valkyrie, and was now shooting stonefists at any pirate unlucky enough to come into her range. Similarly, Anders was now freezing pirates on the spot and then using spirit magic to shatter them, having decided that fireballs on a wooden ship perhaps weren't the best idea. However, his mana was draining quickly as he had also erected a thin barrier over the ship- not enough to stop bodies, but it prevented any arrows reaching them.

Four raiders had managed to get past Hawke onto the Viscount's ship, and Aveline immediately charged and smashed into them like a bull, knocking one over the side and cracking the ribs of another. The other two didn't last long and soon all four were in the water, three dead and the last screaming as he was crushed between the two ships.

The last pirate, upon seeing the rest of his fellows dead, sprinted towards the lower decks, screaming "Captain! Captain, we need-"

But he was cut off as a ball of ice slammed into him, and he flew over the railing and into the sea with a terrified scream. Hawke looked over her shoulder, and Anders winked at her before looking at the rest of them.

"Is anyone injured?" he called across the bow.

"I'm fine!" Hawke yelled. She turned to Valkyrie and Fenris. "How about you guys?"

"I am unharmed." Fenris replied. He looked at Valkyrie, who lifted up one of the plates of her silver armour and winced.

"I got hit by a stray spell, but it's not a bother…"

Fenris' eyes widened and he quickly walked around to Valkyrie's left side to see, only for her to yank it back down.

"I said _it's not a bother_." She snapped. Fenris stared at her stonily for a second, then with a speed she wasn't expecting his hand darted out and yanked off the plate. Both he and Hawke saw the long, blistered burn that had sliced through her leather before she stepped forward and backhanded him across the face.

_"How dare you_!" She shrieked, lunging forward with her other fist extended.  
"Val, _no_!" Yelled Hawke, but she was too far away to restrain her. But to everyone's surprise, Valkyrie stopped her fist within an inch of Fenris' turned-away face. Valkyrie's hand shook as she lowered it, her eyes locked on the man she had been about to pummel. Fenris' head had been turned by the blow, and he was standing slightly hunched over, his white hair obscuring his expression to all but her.

He was looking up at her through his bangs, his eyes more miserable and resigned than she had ever seen. Valkyrie's manic expression melted away, to be replaced by one of weary sadness.

"Fenris… we need to talk about-"

"Do you really wish to do this here? In front of everyone?' he said quietly, straightening up and giving her a tired look. Valkyrie tucked a strand of hair behind her ear and looked at her feet.

"Not my first choice, no." She mumbled.

"Nor mine." he rumbled. "I'm sorry."

The small apology seemed to lift some of the weight off their shoulders and they both turned to look at Hawke, who coughed awkwardly and went into commander mode.

"Their leader's most likely barricaded himself in the captain's cabin. Aveline, Anders, Varric and I will head there. Sebastian, stay on deck and kill anyone who isn't one of us- make sure Merrill does the same. Val and Fenris, search the ship and see if there are more pirates hidden below deck. Isabela!" She called across the ship to Isabela, who was still at the helm. "Stay there and make sure the ships don't drift apart, and also keep an eye for any pirates trying to escape while we're below deck!" Isabela saluted, clearly enjoying being Captain Isabela- at least for a time.


	3. Chapter 3

**Good news dear readers,****_ more blood! _**

**Thank you Eb0ny Dragon for co-writing and being my beta.** **Here's the link to her page: u/4513987/Eb0ny-Dragon**

**Disclaimer: Everything is owned by Bioware except for my Hawke character and Valkyrie belongs to Eb0ny Dragon.**

**- Enjoy and please review.**

* * *

The small group descended down the stairs with caution, weapons ready to strike at anything that moved too quickly. Valkyrie and Fenris split from the group while the others headed straight for the captain's quarters. Upon arriving at their destination without any further sign of human life, Hawke reached for the door handle, testing if it was unlocked with Anders ready to freeze anyone that jumped at out at her. Hawke pushed at the heavy door but it wouldn't budge.

"Aveline, would you kindly break the door down? And once we get inside, please just wait here and guard the door- I'll call you when he starts talking." Hawke commanded.

Aveline sighed. "Fine, just don't kill him yet."

Hawke grinned, making no promises, and everyone cleared a path for Aveline. Aveline raised her shield and with a running start she rammed her shield into the door along with her entire body weight. The old wood gave way and the unfortunate lackey pirate waiting just behind the door bounced off her shield as she charged through the doorway. Varric sprinted in behind her and shot a bolt at the pirate knocked out on the floor and then launched another into the chest of a second, leaving the pirate leader unguarded.

With an angry cry the pirate leader charged and Hawke rushed to meet his blade with one of her own, quickly jabbing the hilt of the other into his throat. He staggered back with a choked cough and Hawke quickly disarmed him and a flick of her blade. Kicking him in his side, the pirate fell face-first to the ground.

"Aveline restrain him quickly, Anders bind him!" Hawke shouted, grabbing the nearest chair and dragging it to the centre of the room. Lifting him by the arms, the pirate struggled in Aveline's iron grip as she dragged him to the empty chair and roughly threw him in it. Anders stretched his hands towards the pirate captain, his brow furrowing in concentration as four bands of thick ice encased the pirate's limbs to the chair.

"Thanks Aveline." Hawke nodded and Aveline left the room to stand guard outside.

Hawke turned her attention to the now restrained pirate and her lips curved into a sadistic smile.

"Now," she started, walking slowly towards the pirate. She leaned over the man, restraining the urge to wrinkle her nose at his foul, fishy odour. She brought her blade up to his face and without hesitating, made a shallow cut across his neck. His blood oozed out slowly- lucky for him, she had avoided his artery. "Let's start by who hired you? Will you talk or do I make you squeal?" When the pirate did nothing but glare at her, she sheathed her blades and drew a smaller knife, grazing the fingers on his left hand.

"Little bitch!" The pirate spat, his blood splattering on Hawke's face.

Anders raised his staff to defend his woman but Varric held him back and gave him a meaningful look, saying that she could handle herself. Wiping the blood from her face, Hawke sneered and punched the pirate in the jaw with full force. He grunted and spat out a glob of blood, along with what may have been a few teeth.

He gave her a nasty look and she took it as a sign of disobedience so she grabbed his eyelids with her left fingers and opened them wide. She brought the blade slowly up, then touched it gingerly to his madly rolling eyeball. He whimpered, and she dug it in a little more, giving it the slightest of twists. This time he cried out in pain and Hawke twisted her knife further, making him scream more.

"Talk! Or I start chopping your fingers off, one by one!" She snarled.

"Kill me and let it be done." he moaned, blood and jelly from his eye trickling down his cheek. "I've failed my mission so I'm dead either way."

Hawke growled and cut off his thumb and then immediately moved on to another finger until he was left with a bleeding stump. Hawke grinned as he screamed in pain.

"Give us a name and she'll be merciful- give you a swift death." Varric suggested but the pirate just glared daggers at him with his single eye. Hawke stabbed the pirate in the thigh, digging it deep until it was buried up to the hilt. The pirate's roar fizzled into moan and he jerked uselessly in the chair, Ander's ice manacles turning the flesh at his wrists pink.

"Sorry Hawke, I tried." Varric shrugged nonchalantly.

Pulling the blade out Hawke gave a low chuckle, her eyes dark with bloodlust as she ran a lone finger down the dripping blade.

"My dear friend, that was a weak attempt of persuasion." Hawke grinned and sunk the knife into the pirate's other thigh, burying it halfway and slowly cutting flesh downwards till she hit his knee bone.

As the pirate screamed, Varric rubbed his forehead wearily. "You seem to be enjoying yourself, so I suppose there's no real reason for you to stop."

Hawke smirked like a cheshire cat, pulling out the knife and then sticking her fingers into the pirate's fresh wound. She wiggled them inside him and was rewarded with another shriek.

"Will you talk or shall I continue?" Hawke said smugly. "No? Your will is stronger than I expected." She sighed as the pirate shook his head weakly. "Fine, I'll just have to start taking this seriously." Using the knife, Hawke quickly shredded the pirate's filthy shirt and she pressed the blade against his bare chest. Applying more pressure, the blade delved into his flesh and Hawke made a long gash along his pectorals as blood splashed out of the wound.

"Don't worry about bleeding out till you give us everything you know. My mage here is a skilled healer." Hawke motioned in Anders' direction with a slight shift of her head as she tucked the blade back in her boot. She reached into her pocket and pulled out the tiny green phial of poison that Valkyrie had given her. She gave a tiny smile and held in front of the pirate's good eye so that he could see it.

"Do you see this?" She said, shaking it slightly in front of him. "This is poison crafted by a very good friend of mine. It won't kill you- but it _will _cause you to feel unimaginable amounts of pain. This is your last chance- _who are you working for?_"

The pirate captain mumbled something, his voice weak.

"What was that? I didn't quite catch it." Snapped Hawke, leaning in so he could talk in her ear.

_CRACK!_

Hawke jerked backwards as the captain slammed his head into her cheekbone, and she felt Anders' supportive hands on her back. She growled and Anders gently pulled her up, careful not to baby her in front of their hostage. She uncorked the bottle and poured it over her dagger, hearing a satisfying _hiss_ as the green liquid sizzled down the metal.

"You made your choice." She growled, and placed the tip of the dagger on his navel. With agonizing slowness she drew it up his chest, creating a long, thin cut all the way up to his neck. The pirate winced, and Hawke waited a few seconds. Surely it was going to do more than make him _wince_? Then his one good eye bulged out of its socket, and he screamed at the top of his lungs as a thin sheen of green vapour began to rise from the cut. Impressed by the poisons potency, Hawke began making tiny cuts all over his body- his chest, arms and face were all bleeding profusely in a matter of minutes. The captain's screams were beginning to hurt Hawke's ears, and Aveline had popped her head in several times and scowled at the disturbance.

"Hawke… I think you might have used too much. How can he talk if if he keeps screaming?" sighed Varric. Hawke ignored him and raised the vial towards the trembling pirate's injured eye.

"_Talk. Now._ Or I'm pouring the rest of this into your eye socket!" she hissed, bringing it dangerously close. The pirate shivered, then gulped and nodded slowly. She pulled back, slightly disappointed. "You'll talk?" she asked suspiciously. He nodded again shakily.

"Y-yes," he rasped, his voice hoarse. "I'll talk."

* * *

Valkyrie and Fenris split from the group as they headed for the captain's cabin, instead heading lower into the ship towards the crew's quarters and the brig. They walked silently, but kept their weapons sheathed- neither of them really expected to find anything.

"I doubt any of them were smart enough to stay here when the fighting started." Muttered Valkyrie as they passed an empty storage area.

"I agree." said Fenris. "But we should still be cautious. These narrow passages are no place for a battle."

Valkyrie grunted, and they kept creeping along in silence. She was very aware of how alone they were, and how he'd said before how they weren't going to discuss anything in the presence of others. However, she knew her place- if they were going to discuss what happened between them, it wasn't going to be in the depths of an enemy ship.

They turned another corner and passed what appeared to be the crew's sleeping quarters. Motioning to Fenris, they slunk inside and began to search the room for any concealed pirates, checking under the cramped bunks and even in the rafters. Finding no trace of anyone, they exited the crew's quarters and headed towards the brig.

The silence grew between them, and although it was a comfortable one Valkyrie felt herself longing for the companionable chats they usually had during missions.

"So… thank you for stepping in back there. With that pirate brute." She said quietly as they padded along. There was a short pause, as though he was surprised by her gratitude.

"You are welcome. It was nothing I wouldn't have done before."

_Before._

The word seemed to linger in the air between them, and Valkyrie quickly continued.

"Also, I'm sorry I hit you. I shouldn't have taken out my frustrations on you- I was... just embarrassed I was the only one who got hit."

Fenris' gaze darkened behind her, and Valkyrie could practically _feel _him glowering.

"You shouldn't have had to worry about fire from _our_ side. You'd think after four years of combat the witch would have learned how to aim properly."

"Don't take it out on Merrill," she said, looking over her shoulder. "Anyone would have found it hard to aim in that melee, and she's getting better! She didn't hit you with a stonefist this time."

"I'm still not convinced that was an accident…" he grumbled, but let the issue drop.

For now.

When they reached the brig, the lack of light immediately set them on edge. They stopped at the bottom of the stairs, and Fenris took the lead, his eyes probing into the darkness.

"I can see multiple cells, but they appear to be empty." He paused, and squinted into the blackness. "It's very cramped- if we go through there, there'll be no room to use our weapons."

"I don't suppose we have much choice." Muttered Valkyrie, and she walked past him into the blackness.

"You don't think I should lead, seeing as I have better night vision?" He said from behind her, sounding slightly exasperated. She quickly stopped, and laughed nervously.

"Sorry! I'm just so used to leading whenever I'm not with Jen. Go ahead- but be careful." She stood aside and he brushed past her, and at that moment she stupidly chose to remember his comment about 'always running behind her on missions.'

Glad that the darkness hid both him and her sheepish expression, Fenris led the way through the cells and around the debris strewn on the floor. It was so cramped that her elbows kept hitting the cells on either side, although Fenris, with his _superior elven eyesight,_ didn't make a sound.

When he suddenly halted Valkyrie almost walked into him, stopping only when she came close enough to see his faintly-glowing tattoos. Listening intently, they both heard the faint scuffling sound coming from above them on the rafters. Valkyrie looked down in confusion as she felt Fenris' hand push her gently back and she stepped backwards quietly, curious as to what he was planning. When she had taken five paces backwards she heard Fenris draw in a deep breath, and she suddenly knew what he was going to do. As his tattoos suddenly flared, Valkyrie jumped back to base of the stairs and watched as the lyrium pulsed out of him in a deadly shockwave, lighting the brig in a flash of blue-white light.

The pirate hiding in the rafters gave a horrible shriek as the lyrium flare shot through him, his flesh sizzling as he toppled onto the floor. Valkyrie saw movement out of the corner of her eye, and immediately leaped off the stairs onto the nearest cage. Sure enough, several other pirates had been hiding in the rafters, only becoming visible in the light of Fenris' now dimming tattoos.

"Fenris! There's more of them, I need light!" She shouted, and Fenris clenched his fists as the markings lit up again. She rushed towards the first pirate, stepping nimbly over the bars and going to draw her blades before knocking her elbows on the low beams and cursing.

'I'll have to do this the old fashioned way.' She thought, leaping towards he first pirate who was staring at Fenris in wonder as the elf yanked his hand out of the fallen pirate's chest. Forming a blade with her hand, Valkyrie chopped into the pirate's collarbone and then slammed her open palm into his chin before he could even raise his arms in defence. The man reeled back, stunned, but then his mate charged over the cage next to her with a tiny dagger in his right hand.

'_Damn!'_ She cursed, stepping clumsily backwards as she tried not to fall between the bars. The pirate stepped towards her and thrust the dagger right towards her ribs, and she barely managed to knock it away with an open palm before the other pirate recovered and began to move towards her too. The second pirate lunged with the dagger again, and this time she stepped in close, grabbing his arm with her left hand and slamming an elbow into his face. He yelled in pain and she quickly twisted his wrist, causing the dagger to tumble from his hands and down through the bars. She managed to kick him away- just in time for the second man to tackle her off the cage.

Fenris pulled his hand out of a swarthy woman's head, blood pouring from her nose and ears as she collapsed in a heap at his feet. Kicking away the corpse in disgust, he quickly checked his surroundings- no more pirates. The light from his markings had lit the entire chamber in a pale, eerie light, so when he turned to see how Valkyrie was doing he had a clear view as one of the pirates tackled her from the top of the cage and caused them to both slam into the ground- and another cage. He saw the back of her head crash into the bottom of one of the steel cages, and the pirate on top of her grunted and rolled off her, pulling a dagger from his boot and glaring at her in hatred. Fenris' throat constricted in fear, and with a shout he began to sprint towards them, watching in horror as the dagger plummeted towards Valkyrie's chest.

Her arms shot out, latching onto the pirate's and halting the descent of the dagger- but he could see her arms were shaking, and the blade slowly inched towards her silver breastplate.

Slow enough.

With a roar Fenris slammed into the pirate, wrapping his arms around the man and _throwing _him off her with all his strength. The man grunted as he crashed into a pile of crates, struggling to rise out of the bits of broken timber as Fenris quickly strode towards him. A terrifying snarl on his face, Fenris curled his hand into a fist and shoved it through the rising pirate's chest, grasping the man's spine and snapping it with a vicious jerk of his hand. A bloody gurgle leaving the man's lips, Fenris dropped him unceremoniously onto the wooden floor and turned to see Valkyrie lunging clumsily towards the last pirate, one of her thin throwing daggers in her hand. The brigand slapped her hand aside and went to ram his fist into her face, only to see her other hand shoot towards his mouth. With an ugly _crunch_ the phial in Valkyrie's fist exploded, the dark, soupy liquid inside shooting into the back of the man's throat. Valkyrie stumbled back a step, and Fenris quickly saw why. The pirate shrieked and clutched at his throat as blood began to drip from his mouth, his cries turning to watery gurgles as he proceeded to choke on his own blood. With a final twitch he collapsed onto the floor, the blood still pumping from his mouth.

Quickly looking around the brig, Fenris' relief at the lack of enemies quickly vanished when Valkyrie swayed and stumbled into a cage, her fingers gasping weakly at one of the bars.

Valkyrie head was swimming as she slumped against the cage, trying (and failing) to get a good grip on the bars. The back of her head was throbbing in time with her heartbeat, and her vision had faded into a dull, blue-black blur. She felt her legs wobble and she gritted her teeth, trying to clear her head.

_'Hold onto the bars. Pull yourself up. Stand up tall. Shake it off.' _She ordered herself, trying to force her body to do something it clearly didn't want to. She was aware of someone talking to her, a deep voice that echoed strangely in her humming ears. She ignored it.

Step one- grab the bars. Done.

Step two- pull yourself up. … … … _not done._

She could feel a sticky wetness on her neck now, and the pain was getting worse. A small whine escaped her lips before she clamped them shut, trying with all her strength to just straighten up. The voice was becoming clearer now, more insistent behind her as she struggled. Then, she flinched as she felt someone maneuver themselves under her left arm, grabbing her left hand and holding it firmly. She tried to see who it was, but the blue glow had faded away now and all she could see was a pale silver blur.

"Let me go." She mumbled, although it came out sounding like "_Lehmgo_."

"So you can fall onto one of the cages again? I think not."

So _that's _who it was.

Fenris.

"_Lehmgo!"_ She mumbled again, trying to sound more coherent and failing miserably.

"I'm not letting you go until we've found some decent light. You're injured, and I need to see how badly." Even in her dazed state Valkyrie could hear the worry in his voice, and a small part of her hated him for it.

Fenris supported most of her weight as they shuffled towards the stairs, his left hand holding her wrist firmly against his shoulder and his right wrapped supportively around her waist. When they reached the foot of the stairs Valkyrie bravely began to hop up them, Fenris shuffling alongside her with an expression that was a mixture of concern and pained admiration. Her head pounded with every step, and as they ascended into the dim lamplight Fenris could see the colour was almost gone from her face.

"Here," he said, pulling her into a small niche in the wall, the stool beside it indicating it had been used to watch over prisoners in the brig. As soon as Fenris let go of her, Valkyrie stumbled onto the stool and groaned as her neck gave a particularly nasty throb. She reached behind her head to touch the wound, only to have Fenris grasp her wrist and push it back gently.

"I wouldn't advise touching it yet Valkyrie. Let me have a look at it."

"You don't need to," she muttered, pulling her hand down out of his grasp. "I just need a poultice and I'll be fine."

She heard him huff in annoyance, and through her blurry mind, she suddenly saw how petty she was being.

"I'm sorry Fenris, I'm just… tired. Please, take a look if you want." She pulled her low ponytail aside, wincing as hairs that had been stuck in the wound were dragged out. She heard nothing for a few seconds, then a soft curse in Tevene that she didn't understand.

"How bad is it?" She asked, grimacing as he cleared away the last few strands of blood-matted hair.

"You do not want to know what I just said." he said darkly. "I'll apply a poultice. Hopefully it will suffice until we can get the mage to heal you properly." He pulled one of the poultices that Anders kept them supplied with from a pouch in his belt, unwrapping it and filling their little corner with sweet, woody scent of herbs.

"The wound is deeper than I expected, so this will hurt until we get above deck." He said carefully, positioning it above the deep gash just above the base of her neck.

"I doubt it can get much worse." She grumbled. "Go ahead." Deciding that he'd best get it over with quickly, Fenris pressed the poultice to her wound and held it there firmly, a hand hovering stealthily above her shoulder incase she flinched away.

The dull throbbing pain was immediately eclipsed by the sharp, acute sting of the poultice. Valkyrie indeed flinched, but instead of pulling away she placed her hand over Fenris', holding the poultice firmly in place.

"Thanks." She winced. Fenris' eyes widened as he looked at their hands and he quickly pulled his away, leaving Valkyrie to hold it on herself.

"We should get you to Anders. Are you able to walk?" He asked quietly. She looked up at him, her expression being kept carefully blank.

"Yes. I'll be fine on my own."


End file.
